Birthday Boy

Benjamin is now officially two!  Happy Birthday, Baby B!

 I took the kids to the cake store to see what I ideas I could get for Benjamin's cake.  It turned out that he had an opinion, and he quickly chose a Wilton train cake pan.  "Too Tain!  Too Tain, Mommy!" - He held onto it pretty tightly for the remainder of the shopping trip.

The kids were all very excited with the result.  The train cake was a hit.

 Gathering around for presents after dinner.  Notice the cups and napkins - Benjamin also picked these out.  :)

 Exciting stuff.

 Yay!  He got a train! 

Laurel made him a gift for his big day.  Very cute.

My handsome little man showing off his train.  This was all he really cared about.  It went with him to the tub and to bed.











Benjamin at two years:

* Still small enough for me to cuddle
* Bright, curious, and into EVERYTHING (if something is lost, check the floor vents)
* The most polite child I have ever met.  He says Please and Thank You for everything.  (If I change his diaper, wipe his nose, brush his teeth, put his pajamas on - I mean, seriously.)  "Ank you, Mommy."
* Very generous and easily shares
* Loves his siblings, Go Go and Meem.
* Will nap only in a big bed - refuses his crib
* Loves books, trucks, trains, driving, PBS, playing outside, riding his bike, getting the newspaper, being a helper, and generally doing whatever his big brother and sister are doing.
* Is very loved by his family.  Happy birthday, sweet boy!

And the winner is...

IT'S A GIRL!!   LAUREL.  IS.  STOKED.  
And so am I.

There's Something Missing

When Laurel went to the dentist last week, a permanent tooth was discovered.  Well, once she had that kind of knowledge, she was determined to wiggle that baby tooth out immediately.  (As far as I know, it was not even remotely loose when we went to the dentist.)

Laurel worked diligently and on the second morning of Kindergarten, a week after the dentist visit, she asked me to pull it out with gauze ("like Sister Bear in the Berenstain Bears Go To the Dentist").  I was happy to oblige. 

First Day of Preschool

 Michael's first day of preschool.  This year he's in Ms. Amy and Ms. Kumiko's 4 year old class.

Here's to an awesome year!

Looking Back

 The first day of Play School.  A few friends and I had a preschool co-op and took turns teaching in our homes.  Laurel LOVED it.  And Miss Heather, Miss Rachel, Bryant and Preston.  It was a fun year.

 First day of preschool in Ms. Weston's 4 year old class at Larchmont United Methodist Preschool (LUMPS).  Ms. Weston was great and Laurel learned a lot of Japanese from the assistant Ms. Kumiko.

First day of Pre-K with Mrs. Skees.  It was a great year that Laurel was sad to say goodbye to. 

First day of Kindergarten.  Wow!  She's so big!

First Day of Kindergarten

Laurel did not blink an eye on her first day of Kindergarten.  She was ready, willing, and excited.  She didn't even mind the chaos of 32 children in her overloaded class being accompanied by 50 parents dropping off and taking pictures.  It think it will be a great year!

Beauty

Is what you get when Benjamin gets into your mascara and applies it himself.

Uncle Jacob Would Be So Proud

 Michael had his very first trip to the dentist.  He was PERFECT and his teeth were too.  Dr. Hamilton said his smile could be on the front of Pediatric Dentistry Today.  Of course, she probably says that 10 times a day, I'm sure, but I was glad that Michael was one of the ten.

 Yay, Michael!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Erik was so lucky.  For his birthday he got a mandatory hurricane evacuation.  He was super excited about that - believe me!  So, we made an impromptu visit to Grandma and Pa's house for the weekend.  Leighanna and Adam were able to come over and join the fun, and we had a little birthday cake for Erik.   Laurel very proudly made and decorated the cake with Grandma, and all the children watched in amazement as Erik blew out all 34 candles in one blow.  Happy Birthday, Sweetie.  Next year we'll be sure to book a Caribbean cruise during hurricane season for your birthday, okay?

Grandma Biz and Bampa

We were super excited to have a visit from Grandma Biz and Bampa right before Daddy's birthday (and hurricane Isabel)!

And I actually took a few pictures of our trip to the beach.

We LOVE Grandma Biz and Bampa.  We wish we could see them more!

 Fish #2 - after Laurel, of course.  The boy doesn't know he can't swim.

 Water lover.

 Brett, Jessica and Shiloh were so sweet to come up and join us!  Thanks for coming!

Look at him love the ocean.  This is a new thing.  We love swimming lessons.  :)

Our Summer

 We decided not to take any fancy vacations this summer.  Our goal - get the kids in the water and teach them how to swim.  So, I enrolled Laurel and Michael in 3 two week swim sessions at the local Y.  This basically defined our summer.  However, we were able to find some additional fun between sessions.  I don't, of course, have a lot of good pictures because I also spent the summer being EXTREMELY ill with morning sickness.  But, we did the best we could. 

 Playing dress up.  Laurel likes to take charge, but luckily the boys don't mind following her lead - most of the time.

 We made a trip to the temple.  Isn't it beautiful?  Okay, so, I didn't get any pictures of the temple, but I did manage to remember to take one single picture of the hotel and the pool we swam in to remember the weekend.  Sweet. 

We met Leighanna and Adam down in Raleigh and switched kids while the girls and guys went to sessions.  The best part for the kids though was the hotel and the pool Friday night.

 The Lindsays came for the 4th of July.  It was a super fun weekend.  (See all the totally awesome shots I got of the fun and fireworks?)  Yeah, I'm good. 

The fireworks show was one to remember though because of the terrific thunderstorm and downpour that preceded it.  It was good, wet fun.

 I think we spent our whole summer wet.  If they weren't in a pool, they wanted to be in the sprinkler.  But thank goodness for that when the temps are in the 100's.

 We took a picnic on one trip of many to the park.

 Baby B.

 Cool Dude.

 You see I have a bike seat on the back of my bike, but if given the choice, Benjamin wants to do what the big kids are doing.  So, here they are all crammed in the bike trailer.  They are so funny.

 Michael made great progress this summer in lessons.  He started out very timid and hesitant in the water.  He ended the summer a lot more confident, getting his head wet, and swimming short distances with floats.

 Laurel is our little fish.  She LOVES the water.  She moved up 3 levels in lessons, learning all the different strokes, passing the "swim test" so she could swim without an adult, went diving for rings, and loved all of it.

Laurel also got to go to gymnastics camp and dance camp this summer.  Both of which she loved.  She is a very independent and social girl.  She loves walking into a totally new place, making new friends and having fun.  She was so sad when these fun-filled weeks were over.

 At the end of the summer we rode the Tide - our cities new transit system - with our good friends.  Laurel and Michael got a kick out of riding the new electric train.

 The kids got to meet George when we took the train to the Chrysler Art Museum to see the Curious George exhibit.  Michael did not want to leave.


A few other things we did this summer:

Took a trip to Grandma's house in July.  We saw great grandma Wall and enjoyed her homemade pone bread (especially Michael).

Visited Daddy on his trip to Albemarle and went (again) swimming in the hotel pool.

Took trips to the zoo and played in the fountains.

Went to the beach.

Good times, good times.  And now that I'm as sick as a dog, I may be able to keep up with my blog.  Well, maybe...

Whoa, BABY!

Baby #4 is on the way!

End of Year Celebration and Pre-K Graduation

 Yay!  I was happy to see this preschool year end.  Michael loved it, but I didn't love his teachers.  I was pretty fed up with them by the end of the year.  BUT he didn't seem to mind and that's what's important - I mean, look at that handsome face.

 This is Laurel after receiving her certificate.  She was pretty excited to know that she was moving on, but she was super bummed to have to say goodbye to Mrs. Skees.

Laurel and Mrs. Skees.  She was the best.  We love her.  Laurel had a very successful year in Pre-K with her.

Love This Picture

He loves her.

Michael's First Father-Son Camp Out

 Setting Up

 Can't get much better than this - in a tent with Dad, Lightning McQueen, and Mater.  That's joy.

 Michael was SO excited to roast marshmallows.  He didn't make it though.  He fell asleep before marshmallow time.

 Michael and his good buddy Noah.

They had a great time.